Tank with no sump

[Axel3034]

Hi guys, i have an issue here. for one I'm still pretty new to saltwater and reef keeping. i made a decision to buy an already set up tank and established tank the person who was selling the tank underwent rough surgeries and was no longer able to do the much needed maintenance on her tank and i purchased the tank for a pretty good price. The tank is 100 gallon reef, my only issue is the filtration system and I'm trying to figure out the best way around it. the tank has no sump. the filtration system is an aqua clear 110, not even close to a sufficient filtration system. there is an octopus skimmer on the back, not quite sure of the model right now. the tank has been up and running for coming on two years now. the tank parameters are quite high. i only checked phosphate and calcium so far after I've had it set up a few so everything would be more settled down from the move. there is also a bad problem with slime algae and i feel it is do to insufficient filtration and due to the high phosphate levels. should i just get a reef ready tank and move all the fish and rocks over or is there an easier fix to my problem?

 

[ericarenee]

To be totally honest.
adopting a tank /buying that has obvious neglect .. regardless of why is not for me to judge..
i would take what ever live life is there back to a lfs and get credit..
a SUMP IS ALWAYS BEST. But yo can do a fowlr tank without and even a softie reef.
there is just so many unknown factors . its like buying a used car with 100k on it... it can be perfect or driving all its life by a wanna be indy 500 driver..

its buyer be wear always...

 

[heathlindner25]

To be totally honest.
adopting a tank /buying that has obvious neglect .. regardless of why is not for me to judge..
i would take what ever live life is there back to a lfs and get credit..
a SUMP IS ALWAYS BEST. But yo can do a fowlr tank without and even a softie reef.
there is just so many unknown factors . its like buying a used car with 100k on it... it can be perfect or driving all its life by a wanna be indy 500 driver..

its buyer be wear always...

I hope my tank doesn't read this....it's filled with Acropora and LPS along with softies and it has no sump!!

 

[Saltliquid]

There are so many ways to achieve a very successful marine tank, sump less or with sump, if you do it right, it can be great either way.
Sumps can be easier for newbies, but of course it has to be designed right and used right or it will fail!

 

[jchassie6312]

I had my sumpless 70 reef tank with softies and lps. Just yesterday I upgraded to a 90 with a sump. Sumps are better for different reasons but it can be done just fine without one

 

[Coralreefer1]

I have had much success with no sump or protein skimmer for that matter. SPS, Tridacna Clams, LPS, Octocorals and even a Ritteri Anemone. Just have to perform weekly water changes to aid in ideal water parameters.

 

[Axel3034]

i perform weekly water changes, around 10% and i have done so since i got the tank i use RO water with instant ocean. and about 4 days after i do my water change the glass is already full of algae and so is the sand bed. i talked to someone at my LFS last week and he recommended i use chemiclean to take care of the algae. but in my opinion i need to find the root of the problem before i try to dose the tank with some type of chemical

 

[gone fishin]

OP a bit more info please.

how much live rock is in the tank?
Do you have any powerheads in the tank?
does the skimmer pull any gunk out?
How long do you run the lights and what type of lights?
How much are you feeding?

A couple suggestions.

You can get yourself a HOB overflow box, this will allow you to install a sump if you want. If your return pump is sized correctly for the overflow it should work fine.

If you do not want a sump then I would certainly look into some larger filter units.

The link may be of some use to you it is full of info on multiple topics. Good luck just my two cents worth.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074

 

[Axel3034]

honestly I'm not sure how much live rock is in the tank but the tank is pretty full of rock from when i aquascaped. i have two power heads, i have to clean the protein skimmer cup every 3 days or so. and the lights turn on at 4am and run until 9pm and they are T5 and i feed once a day, pellets and mysis shrimp frozen cubes. i do want a sump and I've been looking into buying a 125 or larger, plumbing in a sump and transferring the water, rock, fish, and corals over to new tank and adding more live rock and sand as well.

 

[gone fishin]

Reducing your lighting cycle to around 8-10 hours should help. Light plus excess nutrients is a good recipe for algae. Cyano seems to like dead or low flow spots. You may try adjusting your power heads around to help out with the cyano.

Chemiclean will do a bang up job on the algae. But you are correct if you do not get the cause it will just come back.

 

[Axel3034]

Thanks for the advice, and I've played around a lot with my powerheads since I've hat the tank to get the best flow for the way it is set up and maybe I just am not setting up right or something but I think where they are now has a pretty good flow throughout the tank. I'm not sure of the model on the powerhead, but I will defiantly change the lighting cycle, if I set the lights to come on later in the day will that be bad? Just wondering so that I can watch them when I get home from work as opposed to the lights turning off just before I get home

 

[gone fishin]

Should not be an issue with the lighting schedule. that reminds me I forgot to ask if you are getting a lot of sunlight on the tank?

 

[DrPheel]

It is kind of foolish to think a sump will solve the issue , It will only give you more water volume, circulation / aeration AND the most important being sufficient room to put your filtration devices ( Skimmer / Reactor / Refugium / Algea scrubber ) . RO/DI water was a great move to cut down phosphates and other contaminants of tap water . 10/15% Regular water changes will also help you keep the parameters in check BUT will not 100% fix the issue. Then you need select media and equipment to aid this situation. You algae is feeding on lots of things but mostly phosphate / Nitrate , If algae is thriving then there is presence of those elements in the tank. ( get a good phosphate test kit as they are very hard to detect with basic test kits )

Don't like the look of all the hang on back things on your tank ?? I think no one does , now this is where the sump is starting to be a interesting thing to look into. You can either combat algea by leaching those nutrients that make it grow out of the water with filtration like reactors with proper media OR you can try to out compete the algae by growing some Macro algea in the sump / refugium area. if you do a massive clean up of the algae in the tank , add macro algae to the sump then it will grow in there rather then in your display. You can also look into algae scrubbers that promotes the growth of algae in a secluded part of the sump. ( Many write ups and DIY on turning that AC110 into a small fuge but wont do much effect on a 100gal system )

Don't get me wrong , you can do all of this with hang on back equipment also .. but your tank will look like a 1950's nuclear reactor and will be a eye sore. You will also not have as many choices when it comes to Skimmers / reactors as most HOB are for smaller systems.

IMO if you like the hobby and want to see your tank thrive , Get a good system with a sump and build around that when you transfer all your livestock.

Welcome to RC and happy reefkeeping !

 

[Axel3034]

That's a negative on the sunlight, I have the window of the room blocked off with aluminum foil then a curtain right now so no sunlight even goes in my fish tank room. And thank you I appriciate it, and when I purchased the tank I frowned on the fact that it had no sump, but honestly I couldn't pass up the price of the tank and its inhabitants, so I had an idea in the past week to get a reef ready tank build a sump to my liking and transfer everything, and just use the 100 gallon as freshwater because that's truthfully what it is set up for. My Oscar is growing out is 55 anyways

 

[gone fishin]

Well there you go rehome the oscar into the 100g and sell the 55. unless your attached to the livestock sell them off and start from scratch at your own pace. build what you like and stock what you like.